The present convention concerns steam irons having two separated steam chambers for the flash vaporization of water, each associated with a steam circuit that is terminated by a set of orifices for distributing steam beneath the soleplate.
Since the first steam irons only had a single steam chamber, manufacturers had to choose between continuous steaming with evacuation of the steam distributed over the ironing surface, or an abrupt vaporization under pressure, the vapor outlet being able to be concentrated in a smaller zone of the soleplate, for example at the tip of the soleplate as shown for example in the patent U.S. Pat. No. 2,700,236.
The more recent forms of irons with two separate steam chambers permit the two very different modes of operation due to the specialization of each steam chamber to a determined mode.
The patent EP 0342302, for example, describes an iron having first and second steam chambers, the second of which is in proximity to the tip of the soleplate and its set of orifices is concentrated at the tip of the soleplate. The iron functions according to a conventional ironing mode with the first chamber and in a mode of additional flash steam called surge steam, using the second steam chamber, this latter mode being more particularly useful to remove wrinkles from difficult places of the fabric being ironed.
Also known is the patent EP 0621365 which describes a similar iron having two steam chambers associated with two series of orifices in the ironing surface. The related patent FR 2740787 specifies the position of the second chamber and of the associated steam holes at the front of the soleplate.
But the second chamber abruptly receiving a substantial quantity of water to be vaporized is necessarily concentrated at the front of the soleplate to leave sufficient space for the normal vaporization, which leads this second chamber to be associated only with a steam circuit that is tortuous and passing in proximity to the vaporization walls of the first chamber, or is too short. Such a circuit that is remote from the heating element reheats the steam poorly, which does not guarantee a total evaporation of all of the water droplets, particularly when the user makes frequent use of one of the normal steam or surge steam functions before using the other steam function.
The following invention ameliorates these drawbacks.
The object of the invention is achieved by an iron having a soleplate with a heating body provided with a heating element, the heating element comprising a first steam chamber utilized for normal ironing and an independent second steam chamber utilized to obtain additional steam, each of these chambers being associated with a steam circuit terminated by a set of steam orifices in the soleplate, characterized in that the second steam circuit associated with the second chamber has along the heating element above the heating body an upper channel directed from the chamber toward the rear of the soleplate connected to a lower channel extending from the rear toward to the tip of the soleplate located beneath the soleplate heating body.
The path of the steam is thus elongated before its outlet onto the fabric being ironed. The heat exchanges between the steam and the soleplate have more time to take place and evaporation of the all of the drops of water is better assured.
Preferably, the steam circuit of the second chamber is isolated from the evaporation walls of the first chamber by a layer of air.
Use of the continuous vaporization in the first chamber does not cool the second chamber or its channels maintained hot in order to be able to obtain additional steam that is effective at any moment.
Preferably, the second steam chamber is on the axis of the soleplate and the steam circuit has second upper and lower channels, substantially symmetrical to the first.
One thus benefits from the symmetry of the heating body of the soleplate and of its heating element to efficiently increase the heat exchanges.
Preferably, the lower channels are joined together in their end part toward the tip of the soleplate.
This assures an equilibrium of the pressures in the lower channels to obtain a homogeneous vaporization on the articles being ironed.
Preferably, the steam orifices associated with the second chamber of the heating body open into the soleplate along lower channels and into their end part.
The ironing zone associated with the additional steam can then be extended by a layout adapted for the lower channels.
Preferably, the end junction of the lower channels is prolonged by an enlarged channel.
This arrangement permits more steam holes opening into the end part of the lower channels where the steam is better heated.